Young children enjoy placing or throwing projectiles in defined areas such as holes, hoops or other types of open target areas. Children develop and become more mobile as they explore crawling, walking and other motor skills. At each stage of development, a child will be more agile and capable than in earlier stages of development. Parents want to encourage exploration at each developmental stage in order to assist in passage to the next developmental stage. To this end, reconfigurable entertainment devices offer parents an opportunity to encourage exploration at various developmental levels. Reconfigurable entertainment devices can provide skill level appropriate stimulation at one developmental stage and can then be reconfigured to provide appropriate stimulation at a more advanced skill level/developmental stage.
In the present case, a reconfigurable childrens' projected implement/target activity device is disclosed. The device can be reconfigured into multiple configurations to stimulate children of different distinct skill and developmental levels. The device includes a graspable projectable implement, a target area and a projected implement movement controller. A child directs the implement through the target area after which the projected implement movement controller controls the movement of the implement. The projected implement can be a ball or any object that a child can grasp easily. The target area can be the open area of a ring, hoop, or other opening, through which the projected implement passes. The target area may be suspended above the projected implement movement controller. The projected implement movement controller may also function as a reversible base for the activity device.
The projected implement movement controller of the present invention includes a first side and a second side. The first side of the projected implement movement controller has a concave shape and the second side has a convex shape. In a first configuration of the activity device of the present invention, the first side of the projected implement movement controller faces the target area so that a projected implement, passing through the target area, comes in contact with the projected implement movement controller. Because the first side of the projected implement movement controller is concave, when the projected implement passes through the target area, the projected implement is contained in the concave, bowl-shaped, side of the movement controller within proximity of the child. Alternatively, when the reversible projected implement movement controller is reconfigured to expose the movement controller's, second, convex side and the projected implement passes through the target area, the projected implement deflects off of the movement controller's dome-shaped, convex, surface and moves away from the activity device.
The activity device according to the present invention therefore facilitates two modes of activity for children at different developmental levels. In the first mode where the concave, bowl-shaped, surface of the projected implement movement controller faces the target area, a younger, less mobile, child can place the implements through the target area and the movement controller will corral and contain the implements in close proximity to the child. This first mode also provides a convex surface pointing away from the target area and toward the supporting surface. In the first mode, the convex surface of the projected implement movement controller contacts the supporting surface to allow the activity device to rock back and forth as the child plays. In the second activity mode where the convex, dome-shaped surface of the projected implement controller faces the target area, the projected implements are deflected away from the activity device and must be retrieved as the child plays. This second activity mode therefore encourages children to be more active and further improves their motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
The activity device of the present invention also provides sensory-stimulating rewards for a child successfully reaching the target area with a projected implement. An optical sensor may be utilized in the target area to sense the presence of the projected implement in the target area. Thus, the presence of the projected implement in the target area may trigger sensory-stimulating output from the activity device. The sensory-stimulating output may include lights, sound effects, speech, and/or music. Thus, a child that successfully reaches the target area with the projected implement is therefore rewarded with sensory-stimulating output to encourage continued play. Additionally, the activity device of the present invention could also incorporate a motion sensor to generate sensory-stimulating output at the slightest touch to further encourage continued play.